As I was leaving Penn Station the other day, I noticed an immense advertisement perched above of a building. The sign, in insolent, white lettering, stated “Expect Everything.” The statement weighs itself down beginning with the letter e and ending with the letter g. Buddhism teaches us to expect nothing; the phrase is that simple and that complex. As I understand it, to expect nothing means to take things as they appear because desire will bring pain when unfulfilled. Why should expect everything be different? How is the phrase different? The phrase is filled with unforeseen desire, sadness, pain, and anger. Its beginning and ending is held in suspended animation that promises, but rarely, delivers. In addition, when the phrase is used within a consumerist context the phrase becomes an anchor weighing both seller and buyer with unfulfilled expectations. Expect everything is a subtle and powerful phrase.
Initially, as a so-called Buddhist, the phrase did make me chuckle. It opposes virtually everything I have read and learned about Buddhism. I do not want to spend all time immemorial pondering the phrase’s philosophical and religious complexities, but I believe the expect everything advertisement deserves, at the very least, a journal entry.
1 comment:
A perceptive post. Buddhism is indeed about having no expectations, after all how can you expect anything if you accept all to be impermanent? Expectation is the projection of a notion, and the root of our suffering. Anyway I know I'm preaching to the choir, as it were, but I just wanted to let you know how I enjoyed reading your post.
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